(1997). Reaching Out to a Diversity of Learners: Innovative Educators Need Substantial Support. During the past several decades, educators have been experimenting with a variety of humanistic innovations to enrich students' academic, social, and emotional growth. These innovations include mainstreaming, inclusion, and detracking, and their intent is to reach out to all students, especially at-risk learners. To reach out, however, requires substantial support. Support is vitally important because students'"at-riskness" will not disappear and because the United States government and educational community continue to believe in the efficacy of raising academic standards. The following sources of support are therefore intended as a complement to and a scaffold for teachers and administrators who experiment with different ways of meeting a diversity of learning needs. At-risk learners benefit from instructional activities that are carefully planned and supported by classroom teachers and learning center staff. Unfortunately, in many schools, disabled students get a… [PDF]
(1986). Multicultural Education in Western Societies. Western democratic societies share an egalitarian ideology which maintains that a major goal of the state is to protect human rights and promote equality and the structural inclusion of all racial, ethnic, and cultural groups into the fabric of society. Educational initiatives taken to implement reforms that reflect ethnic diversity and promote equality have created lively and sometimes embittered controversy because little agreement exists within each nation about what should be the proper role of public schools in the ethnic education of both majority and minority students. This book is divided into three major parts. Part I formulates a descriptive typology of the phases of ethnic revitalization movements, the paradigmatic responses that educators have made to these movements, and the limitations which characterize educational reforms that are based on single-factor paradigms. Part II describes examples of these paradigms and concepts by discussing multicultural education in the…
(1991). Progressive Education for the 1990s: Transforming Practice. In this collection, educators examine progressive education from both historical and practical standpoints, addressing the daily struggles confronting progressively oriented teachers as they create classrooms to support their values. After an introduction, "Class Values," by C. Montag, the following essays are presented: (1) "Large Purposes" (V. Perrone); (2) "Honoring Diversity/Striving for Inclusion" (P. Carini); (3) "Urban Conversations" (M. Gaston, B. Kanze, and D. Murphy); (4) "Democracy, Progressivism, and the Comprehensive High School" (M. Lazerson); (5) "The Eight Year Study" (K. Irwin); (6) "John Dewey's School" (J. Katch); (7) "Twenty-Four, Forty-Two, and I Love You: Keeping It Complex" (E. Duckworth); (8) "Assessing Imperfect Conceptions" (H. Dyasi); (9) "Jason and Matt" (K. Hibl); (10) "Looking at a Child's Work" (K. Jervis and A. Wiener); (11) "Grounded…
(2002). ASCB Minorities Affairs Committee Goals: \Strengthening the Chain of Success\. Cell Biology Education, v1 n4 p105-106 Win. The Minorities Affairs Committee of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB-MAC) is an active standing committee of the Society with an aggressive agenda and a goal of inclusion. Its mission is fourfold: (1) To increase diversity among the ASCB members; (2) To bring issues related to minorities in science to the attention of ASCB members; (3) To assist in the professional development of minority scientists and in the education of minority science students; and (4) To provide opportunities for faculty members at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) not only to advance their research and teaching effectiveness, but also to establish long-term professional relationships with ASCB members. The Minorities Affairs Committee (MAC) began at the ASCB in 1980 as an ad hoc committee called the Minority Affairs Committee. It was the brainchild of Winston Anderson who, at a breakfast meeting (during the annual meeting) with the Society president, Bill Brinkley, and others, including Peter… [Direct]
(1996). Planting the Field of Portuguese Preschool Education: New Policies for Old Roots. This paper discusses the preschool component of the Educational Agreement presented to the Portugal Parliament in May 1996 to improve the quality of the educational system. Among the 10 Action Commitments in the Agreement is the creation of a national network for preschool education. The context of the inclusion of preschool in this Agreement is discussed, including the results of research documenting the need for preschool education in Portugal, such as low literacy rates and high secondary drop-out rates. Discussion of the current plan for expanding preschool education includes: (1) the changing role of governmental ministries in preschool education to consist of regulation, supervision, coordination, and compensation; (2) the need to respond to cultural diversity in preschool programs; and (3) new legislation, such as the Public Law on Preschool Education, which affirms the principle of social partnership for the expansion of the preschool program and delineates priorities for… [PDF]
(1998). YWCA Cares for Children: A Guidebook for YWCA Child Care Centers. Providing child care to young children has been an important part of the mission of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) since the early days of the organization. Noting that one of the most frequently identified needs of current YWCA child care programs is a guide for providing child care within the association's mission, this guidebook for YWCA child care centers compiles resources contributed by YWCAs across the country. Part 1 of the guidebook presents an overview of YWCA child care, including a history of the organization, description of basic requirements for a mission-driven YWCA child care program, and a description of the current social-political context in which child care operates. Part 2 contains a multitude of resources submitted from YWCAs across the country and is organized in the following areas: (1) basic YWCA child care operations, including philosophy, community needs assessments, funding mechanisms, ethics and confidentiality, and operating policies and…
(1999). The New York Times Guide to the Best Children's Videos. More parents than ever before are making a conscious decision to be more selective about what their children watch and the types of games they play. This guide lists recommended videos and provides parents with informative guidelines to enable them to make informed program choices. The first part of the guide presents brief reports from the field: (1) "TV for Girls" (Jan Benzel); (2) "Congress and TV: Living with the Law" (Lawrie Mifflin); (3) "Teletubbies" (Sarah Lyall); and (4) "Reinventing Children's Television Workshop" (Anita Gates). The remainder of the guide present the descriptions and ratings of the videos. Baseline criteria for inclusion in the guide include: (1) no gratuitous violence or sexual behavior; (2) no physical or verbal abuse; (3) no racial, gender, cultural, or religious bias; (4) no condescension toward children; and (5) no unsafe behavior. Each title is rated with one, two, or three stars. The accompanying review…
(1990). Effective Group Work in Community Colleges. As college student populations become more diverse and classes become more heterogeneous, instructors have an opportunity to implement leadership models based on the goals of empowerment, cooperation, inclusion, and collaboration. A heterarchical notion of leadership (in which information and authority flow across channels and input from all members of a collective is considered valid and important) can be useful for increasing classroom participation and helping students learn to work in groups. One of the ways to begin building connections across similarities and differences is to provide mechanisms for people to talk to one another. Such opportunities set the stage for students to work together in collaborative and mutually affirming ways. Instructors can serve as key players in this learning process by setting norms that support an open discussion of individual differences. For example, students may be asked to write about the differences they observe in their classmates… [PDF]
(1986). Beyond Language: Social and Cultural Factors in Schooling Language Minority Students. This book aims to help educators improve their understanding of minority students within the American social context. It contains seven chapters, each written by different authors. The introductory chapter, \The Education of Language Minority Students: A Contextual Interaction Model\ by C. Cortes, provides an overview of a theory for how the many sociocultural factors influence language minority education. The next chapter, \Ethnic Minority Issues in the United States: Challenges for the Educational System\ by S. Sue and A. Padilla, looks at historical explanations for why some groups do better in school than others. \Understanding Sociocultural Factors: Knowledge, Identity, and School Adjustment\ by J. Ogbu and M. Matute-Bianchi analyzes sociocultural factors such as group attitudes toward education, self-identity, historical experiences, cultural values, and job ceiling. The next chapter, \Sociocultural Contexts of Language Development\ by S. Heath, stresses the inclusion of…
(1988). Pushing against the Margins: A Commentary and Response to \Patterns of Social Fragmentation and Cohesion: The Social Context of 21st Century Education for Citizenship by David Watts, Donald Matlock, and Alvin Short.\. The inclusion of more sociology related materials in the 8th and 9th grade civics curriculum can push the margins of civics education to a more broadly conceived notion of citizenry and make civics and sociology more relevant to students' lives. The goal should be to help students understand society, not the discipline of sociology. Sociology instruction can channel the developmental characteristics of adolescents (insecurity, rebelliousness) and help connect these personal biographies to larger social forces. David Watts and his colleagues contribute to using sociology to expand the parameters of the traditional civics course by emphasizing the following themes: (1) the centrality of community; (2) the mutual influence of the individual with the group; (3) the importance of demographic information; (4) the pluralism of family forms; (5) the complementary nature of sociological research in citizen development; (6) the need for a core culture; (7) the need for repair of social…
(1983). Hearing on the Equal Educational Opportunity Act of 1983, before the Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary, and Vocational Education of the Committee on Education and Labor. House of Representatives, Ninety-Eighth Congress, First Session on H.R. 2397 (April 6, 1983). The Reagan Administration's education voucher proposal was the subject of these hearings on H.R. 2397, a Bill To Improve the Educational Achievement of Educationally Deprived Children by Expanding Opportunities for Their Parents To Choose Schools That Best Meet Their Needs, To Foster Diversity and Competition among School Programs For Educationally Deprived Children, To Increase Private Sector Involvement in Providing Educational Programs for Educationally Deprived Children, and for Other Purposes. Secretary of Education Terrel H. Bell presented a statement outlining the Administration's reasons for introducing the voucher proposal. Statements opposing the voucher system were made by the following: Mary Hatwood Futrell of the National Education Association; Gregory Humphrey of the American Federation of Teachers; Grace Baisinger of the National Coalition for Public Education; Althea Simmons of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; Joseph Scherer of the… [PDF]
(1992). Nested Contexts: A Basic Writing Adjunct Program and the Challenge of "Educational Equity.". Conducted at a public university that had long been overwhelmingly Anglo despite being located in a state noted for its linguistic and cultural diversity, an ethnographic study examined one adjunct writing program and the varied students it serves. Data sources were both numerous and varied–data were collected concurrently at the campus level and within the various layers of the program. Two concerns (about academic standards and about cultural separatism) emerged as campus administrators struggled to explain their mixed feelings about the "equity policy" (designed to promote the academic and social adjustment of underrepresented students). Tensions also surfaced repeatedly at the English department and the small-group leader levels. In interviews with writing program administrators, faculty, and small-group leaders about the role of the program, the same dilemmas surfaced again and again–Should small group leaders: (1) consider cultural and linguistic backgrounds of… [PDF]
(2004). Preparation and Development of Teachers of Color. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, v17 n2 p163-166 Mar-Apr. Teachers are the single most important resource in any classroom. As a result, few institutions hold as much potential and responsibility for improving schooling as those who prepare, hire, develop and retain teachers. Children's school experiences of success or failure, acceptance or rejection, and equity or bias often depend on the teachers' ability to understand how, when and what is needed for particular children in specific situations. While teachers currently may have the potential to inspire, they have not consistently demonstrated the capacity to educate a professoriate who can prepare preservice candidates to succeed in diverse settings, nor have they developed reliable and replicable teacher preparation programs that understand how to select programmatic content, experiences and strategies needed to help teachers develop from novice to expert levels and to apply cultural and language dimensions to curriculum and practice. Preparing teachers to meet the needs of… [Direct]
(1991). National Testing: The National Debate. ASPIRA Issue Brief. The issue of a national assessment tool in the form of national testing has recently gained momentum. The expectation is that tough national tests would raise national standards and improve educational equity. The goals are ambitious ones and the stakes are particularly high for disadvantaged youth who currently experience the worst effects of testing practices and an inequitable education system. Even current levels of time and money spent on preparation for and administration of standardized tests may have some of the following consequences: (1) narrowed curriculum; (2) teaching that resembles the tests; (3) downgraded teaching skills and stifling of creativity; and (4) tracking of students with the lowest scores (often minorities) into lowest performing classes. Prominent on the current political scene is the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Those who criticize the NAEP focus on the issue of national versus local control. Several alternative proposals are…
(1995). Early Childhood Education. IDRA Focus. IDRA Newsletter, v22 n4 April. This newsletter contains seven articles on developmentally appropriate and equitable practices for use in preschool and primary classrooms and at home. Examples frequently relate to Hispanic or limited-English-proficient (LEP) students. "Parents As First Teachers: Creating an Enriched Home Learning Environment" (Abelardo Villarreal) outlines what parents should do and what they should avoid in providing learning opportunities for preschool children. "Guiding Success for Preschool Age Children: An IDRA Training Program" (Abraham Dominguez, Abelardo Villarreal) describes training for teachers and caregivers in preschool classrooms that encompasses seven competency areas. "Creating Gender Equitable Early Childhood Environments: A Look at What's So–the Status of Education" (Michaela Penny-Velazquez) describes gender-biased methods still practiced in early childhood classrooms, and ways that preschool teachers can promote gender equity through appropriate… [PDF]